The Menzingers - Everything I Ever Saw

‘Everything I Ever Saw’, the eighth studio album by Americana-tinged punk rockers The Menzingers, hinges on new beginnings. The band’s songwriting core Greg Barnett and Tom May have found themselves treading overlapping new paths, one getting married and starting a family, the other stepping away from a marriage for new love. The result has seen them return to the organic creative process of 2012’s celebrated ‘On The Impossible Past’, forging an immediate musical snapshot in time, and continuing their scene-leading storytelling ability with a narrative that both embraces and questions the very idea of permanence. “You don’t have to have it all figured out,” they offer on the brilliant ‘Gasoline & Matches’, while on ‘Nobody’s Heroes’, they repeat Greg’s father’s simple mantra: “You can always reinvent yourself.”

It’s a leap away from the self-deprecation that has underpinned much of their catalogue to date, a celebration of the fluidity of life and a continued middle finger to those looking to oppress (take ‘Other People’s Money’). Perhaps for the first time, there feels like there is something to truly protect, be it family, loved ones, or simple personal freedoms. That positivity, although still fragile, slots easily into their East Coast storytelling, with ‘Everything I Ever Saw’ delivering its fair share of mammoth singalong moments - not least the heartfelt ‘Romanticism’ or the rousing chorus of ‘Nobody’s Heroes’. Although there’s evidently still plenty to worry about, Greg and Tom have, in times of change and turmoil, rediscovered the joy and beauty of life, presenting it effortlessly with a stunning melodic charm. This is – dare we say it - The Menzingers at their happiest.